IN  CONNECTION  WITH  THE 

GERMAN  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN  SYNOD  OF  MISSOURI,  * 
OHIO,  AND  OTHER  STATES, 

AT  THE 

LOUISIANA  PURCHASE  EXPOSITION,  1904. 


By  Order  of  the  Synodical  Committee  on  “ School-Exhibition ” 

BY 

F.  LINDEMANN. 


St.  Louis,  Mo. 

CONCORDIA  PUBLISHING  HOUSE. 
1904. 


5 7/0  7/y/JZ^. 

L c y/e. 

THE  EXHIBIT  OF  PAROCHIAL  SCHOOLS 

of  the 

German  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  Missouri, 
Ohio,  and  other  States. 


I. 

For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  one  of  its  layers  in  this  country,  the  “ German 
Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod  of  Missouri , Ohio , and  other 
States  has  ventured  to  place  on  exhibition  a part  of  its 
church  work,  that  part  which  does  not  strictly  confine 
itself  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  its  members,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  is  of  service  and  benefit  to  our  nation  and 
country.  This  body  does  not  enter  the  arena  of  exhibi- 
tions at  the  World’s  Fair  in  any  spirit  of  boasting,  nor 
does  it  expect  to  receive  the  acknowledgments  of  the 
general  public. 

Still,  the  separation  of  Church  and  State,  of  the  reli- 
gious and  secular  sphere  or  realm,  of  the  body  politic 
and  the  body  spiritual  in  this  country,  has  benefited  the 
educational  work  of  the  Lutheran  Church  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  this  special  Lutheran  Synod  deemed  it  appro- 
priate, not  to  say  imperative,  to  exhibit  its  parochial 
school  system  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition, 
resting  assured  of  the  fair  and  friendly  judgment  of  the 
American  people,  as  well  as  of  such  Lutherans  from  all 
lands  as  are  interested  in  an  institution  the  like  of  which 
has  never  existed  before,  but  which  sprang  into  exist- 
ence in  this  land  of  religious  and  political  liberty  and 


— 4 — 


which  has  been  fostered  and  nurtured  under  the  protec- 
tion of  our  laws  and  our  truly  republican  government. 

Two  distinct  educational  principles  are  placed  on  ex- 
hibition at  the  World’s  Fair.  The  one  goes  in  the  direc- 
tion of  a broad  liberal  education,  of  acquiring  knowledge 
merely  for  the  sake  of  knowledge.  This  education  is 
secular  only  and,  at  the  same  time,  must  be  undenomi- 
national. 

The  other  stands  for  the  religious  element  in  educa- 
tion, regarding  secular  learning,  though  of  vast  impor- 
tance to  the  child’s  temporal  welfare,  nevertheless  as 
being  subservient  to  the  welfare  of  its  soul,  and  placing 
religious  instruction  and  training  to  the  front.  The  one 
puts  it  within  the  reach  of  the  poorest  citizen  to  procure 
for  his  children  the  most  necessary  secular  learning  by 
establishing  public  or  free  schools  maintained  by  public 
funds  and  general  taxation.  The  other  insists  upon  the 
training  of  the  children  and  the  youth  within  the  Chris- 
tian home  and  the  Church  and  not  by  any  body  politic, 
maintaining  that  education  should  be  based  on  religion, 
should  include  the  moral  as  well  as  the  intellectual  nature. 

At  the  Lutheran  School  Exhibit  there  are  represented, 
as  far  as  has  been  possible  to  do  so,  the  attainments  of 
elementary  and  common  parochial  schools  conducted  on 
this  last-named  principle  of  education. 

Granting  that  secular  education  is  necessary  and,  in 
a way,  beneficial,  the  Lutheran  Church  considers  purely 
secular  education  as  one-sided  and  imperfect,  at  best, 
because  its  only  aim  is  and  can  be  to  fit  one  for  this  tem- 
poral life,  disregarding  the  life  to  come.  The  Lutheran 
Church  considers  it  her  duty  not  to  abandon  her  children 
to  the  mercy  of  politics,  or  to  surrender  her  rights  and 
prerogatives  to  the  State  for  the  sake  of  conforming  to 
other  denominations  and  of  keeping  in  line  with  the 


spirit  of  the  times.  The  Lutheran  Church  claims  that 
not  only  the  intellect  and  body  need  attention,  but  that 
the  heart  must  be  enlightened  and  purified,  if  true  edu- 
cation is  to  be  attained,  and  it  asserts  that  such  educa- 
tion can  only  be  accomplished  by  means  of  regular  and 
systematic  religious  instruction , beginning  at  home  and 
supplemented  by  a school  in  which  the  tenets  of  Bible 
doctrine  permeate  the  whole  course  of  instruction  and 
every  branch  of  learning.  The  Lutheran  Church  wants 
her  children  trained  and  brought  up  “in  the  nurture  and 
admonition  of  the  Lord,”  at  the  same  time,  however, 
considering  it  her  duty  to  provide  for  the  necessary 
training  in  things  secular. 

This  educational  work  of  the  Church,  being  of  a kind 
peculiarly  its  own,  cannot  be  entrusted  to  the  State.  The 
Lutheran  Church,  therefore,  from  its  very  beginning,  has 
established  and  maintained  parish  or  parochial  schools 
of  its  own. 

Luther’s  Reformation  had  firmly  established  a system 
of  common  schools  for  imparting  religious  instruction  to 
the  children,  which  even  the  ravages  of  the  Thirty-years’ 
War  could  not  overthrow,  and  when  the  Colonial  Luther- 
ans arrived  in  this  countnr,  their  first  concern  was  to 
build  churches  and  schools  for  themselves  and  their 
children.  True  to  the  traditions  of  their  church,  the 
Lutheran  pioneers  in  America  at  once  engaged  in  the 
work  of  education.  Wherever  a community  of  Luther- 
ans was  founded,  the  erection  of  a house  of  worship  was 
immediately  followed  by  the  establishment  of  a school. 
This  fact  is  illustrated  by  the  Salzburgers,  who  settled 
in  Georgia  in  1734,  and  of  whom  it  has  been  said : “No 
sooner  do  they  take  possession  of  this  wilderness  than 
a tabernacle  is  set  up  for  the  Lord.  This  is  speedily 
followed  by  provision  for  the  education  of  the  children.” 


— 6 — 


When  H.  M.  Muehlenberg  and  his  colaborers  organ- 
ized the  Lutheran  Church  in  the  eastern  part  of  our 
country,  the  cause  of  parochial  schools,  from  the  very 
beginning,  occupied  a prominent  place  in  the  work  of 
these  pioneers.  “The  first  Lutherans, ” says  one  of  the 
ablest  historians  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  America, 
“brought  with  them  from  the  fatherland  the  parish 
school , and  though  widely  dispersed  and  in  straightened 
circumstances,  they  could  no  more  dispense  with  these 
Christian  nurseries  for  their  children  than  with  the 
church  itself.  A congregation  without  a school  dare 
not  for  a moment  be  taken  into  consideration.  Even 
when  there  was  no  pastor,  the  congregation  must  secure 
a teacher.  Beside  the  rude  log  church  a schoolhouse 
always  arose,  and  it  is  suggestive  that  Muehlenberg,  who 
is  said  to  have  never  lost  sight  of  the  training  of  the 
children,  and  who  at  first  personally  gave  instructions 
in  the  rudiments,  built  a schoolhouse  at  the  Trappe 
even  before  he  began  the  erection  of  a house  of  worship. 
Significant,  likewise,  is  the  fact  that  the  second  topic 
which  engaged  the  attention  of  the  first  synodical  meet- 
ing was  the  ‘condition  of  the  parochial  schools.’  Each 
pastor  laid  before  the  synod  the  actual  state,  the  wants 
and  prospects  of  his  school.” 

In  1750  flourishing  schools  were  reported  in  all  con- 
gregations, except  one.  In  1804,  26  congregations  re- 
ported 89  schools;  in  1813,  164  schools  were  reported 
by  52  pastors;  in  1820,  206  parochial  schools  in  84  con- 
gregations were  accounted  for. 

But  the  system  of  public  or  free  schools  introduced 
in  the  fourth  decade  of  this  century  gradually  wrought 
a change.  Still,  up  to  the  third  quarter  of  the  century 
many  excellent  parochial  schools  could  be  found  in 
Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Ohio. 


— 7 — 


Lutheran  ministers  who  came  to  Ohio  in  1805,  and 
in  the  years  immediately  following,  at  once  began  to  es- 
tablish and  support  parochial  schools.  In  1815  there 
were  already  21  of  them.  In  1817  the  number  had  been 
more  than  doubled,  48  schools  being  reported.  In  1818 
we  find  54,  and  in  the  following  year  57  of  them.  Prior 
to  the  introduction  of  the  public-school  system  in  this 
country,  the  Pennsylvania  Synod  had  hundreds  of  these 
parish  schools.  Zion  Church,  Philadelphia,  for  instance, 
maintained  four , and  their  grand  work  was  at  one  time 
recognized  by  the  donation  on  the  part  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  of  five  thousand  acres  of  land. 

These  early  German  parochial  schools  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, as  well  as  those  in  North  Carolina,  Virginia,  and  other 
British  colonies,  diffused  a vast  amount  of  religious  in- 
telligence among  the  settlers  and  their  descendants.  The 
Lutherans  of  that  time  held  that  education  should  be  in 
the  hands  of  Christian  teachers,  and  that  it  is  a function 
worthy  of,  and  incumbent  upon,  the  pastor,  who,  in- 
deed, often  was  the  main,  if  not  the  sole,  teacher  of  the 
parish  school,  where  the  teaching  of  religion  was  com- 
bined with  elementary  instruction  in  secular  branches. 

The  decline  of  parochial  schools  was,  at  the  same  time, 
not  only  due  to  the  spread  of  the  public-school  system. 
There  were  also  other  reasons.  The  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence which  was  maintained  for  so  many  years  ren- 
dered it  impossible  for  many  schools  to  continue  their 
peaceful  work,  and  others  were  swept  away  by  the  storms 
of  the  Revolution.  The  decline  was,  furthermore,  aided 
by  the  decrease  of  the  number  of  immigrants  from  Ger- 
many. The  principal  cause,  however,  must  be  ascribed 
to  the  lack  of  sufficient  interest  in  the  support  of  elemen- 
tary schools  in  the  country  districts  and  the  premature 
formation  of  a college  for  the  education  of  young  Ger- 


8 — 


mans  at  Philadelphia.  Besides,  it  was  quite  impossible 
to  secure  men  necessary  for,  and  capable  of,  instructing 
the  young.  The  decline  of  the  elementary  schools,  as  a 
consequence,  was  followed  by  the  failure  to  establish  col- 
leges and  seminaries,  the  colonists  relying  upon  the  help 
and  assistance  which,  for  a time,  they  had  received  from 
abroad. 

Naturally,  then,  it  was  not  the  Lutheran  Church  of 
the  Colonial  period  which  was  destined  to  establish  the 
system  of  Lutheran  parochial  schools  in  this  country. 
While  a small  number  of  parish  schools  maintained  their 
existence  in  the  East,  new  colonists  began  to  arrive  and 
to  settle  in  that  part  of  our  country  included  in  the  Loui- 
siana Purchase,  and  it  was  principally  within  this  newly 
acquired  territory  where  the  principles  of  Luther’s  Ref- 
ormation were  destined  to  be  applied  for  the  benefit  of 
Church  and  State.  Within  the  bounds  of  the  Louisiana 
Purchase  was  to  bud  forth  that  glorious  branch  of  a free 
church  in  a free  country — the  parochial  school.  Over 
3500  German  Lutheran  congregations  and  810  substa- 
tions report  2500  parochial  schools  attended  by  more 
than  100,000  children. 

But  here  begins  a new  chapter  in  the  history  of  Lu- 
theran parochial  schools  in  this  country. 


II. 

In  the  months  of  January  and  February,  1839,  four 
New  Orleans  steamers  landing  at  the  St.  Louis  levee 
brought  to  this  city  a number  of  German  immigrants 
from  Saxony  aggregating  about  750.  St.  Louis  was  then 
a city  of  about  16,000  inhabitants.  The  greater  number 
of  these  immigrants  soon  left  St.  Louis  again  to  settle  in 
Perry  Co.,  Mo.  Those  remaining  in  St.  Louis,  together 


9 


with  a few  that  returned  from  Perry  County,  soon  after 
organized  the  first  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  con- 
gregation, and  at  once  established  a parochial  school. 
When,  in  1842,  Trinity  Church,  the  first  Lutheran  house 
of  worship,  was  erected,  the  basement  of  the  church  was 
utilized  as  a schoolroom.  Soon  afterwards  a new  school 
was  built  in  another  part  of  town.  Trinity  congregation 
now  had  2 parochial  schools,  4 teachers,  and  310  pupils. 
There  are  to-day  in  this  city  39  teachers  instructing 
2200  children  in  parochial  schools,  all  of  which  sprang 
from  the  one  founded  in  1839. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  Saxons  in  Perry  County  had 
also  founded  elementary  schools  in  their  settlements,  even 
venturing,  in  the  face  of  all  their  hardships  and  much 
poverty,  to  organize  a college.  In  a log-cabin,  erected 
by  the  professors  and  their  friends,  this  school  of  learn- 
ing was  opened  in  1839.  The  log  cabin  has  been  pre- 
served to  this  day,  and  a picture  of  it  will  be  found  among 
the  exhibits  of  the  Synod. 

Whilst  these  German  Lutheran  congregations  in  Mis- 
souri took  the  lead  in  providing  for  the  proper  instruc- 
tion of  their  children,  a Lutheran  missionary  had  begun 
to  labor  amid  hardships  and  privations  in  Indiana,  Ohio, 
and  Michigan.  This  untiring  laborer  in  the  Lord’s  vine- 
yard was  F.  C.  D.  Wyneken,  who  had  landed  at  Balti- 
more about  half  a year  before  the  Saxons  set  foot  on  the 
banks  of  the  Mississippi.  Filled  with  a burning  zeal  to 
carry  the  Gospel  of  Christ  to  his  countrymen  in  the 
Western  solitudes,  he  traversed  the  forests  and  prairies 
both  afoot  and  on  horseback,  in  fair  and  foul  weather, 
by  day  and  by  night,  preaching  and  teaching  the  young 
as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit. 

When,  in  1841,  a painful  disease  of  the  throat  inter- 
rupted his  labors,  he  went  to  Germany  for  a treatment 


— 10  — 


of  his  trouble,  but  as  soon  as  his  health  was  restored,  he 
began  to  plead  the  cause  of  the  German  Lutherans  in 
America  with  his  brethren  in  Germany.  By  personal 
solicitations  he  engaged  the  sympathies  of  a number  of 
prominent  men,  and  by  public  addresses,  as  well  as  by 
means  of  a brilliant  pamphlet,  he  inspired  into  thou- 
sands of  hearts  a feeling  of  responsibility  for  the  scat- 
tered German  Lutherans  in  this  country.  It  was  by 
the  endeavors  of  this  man  that,  in  1845,  a small  band 
of  Lutheran  immigrants  settled  in  Michigan,  who,  at 
Frankenmuth,  Mich.,  at  once  established  schools,  not 
only  for  their  own  children,  but  for  their  Indian  neigh- 
bors as  well.  They  built  a schoolhouse  on  Pine  River 
and  founded  Bethany  Mission.  On  July  4,  1848,  seven- 
teen of  these  Lutheran  settlers  founded  what  is  now 
Frankenlust,  others  Amelith,  and  more  settlements  of 
the  kind. 

These  events  had  occurred,  and  these  three  different 
movements  had  progressed  separately  and  far  apart,  not 
according  to  a common  agreement  or  plan  of  action,  the 
promoters  of  each  not  even  being  personally  acquainted 
with  one  another. 

It  pleased  God,  however,  to  unite  these  strenuous 
promoters  of  true  Lutheranism  by  bringing  them  to- 
gether in  the  German  Lutheran  Synod  of  Missouri,  Ohio , 
and  other  States,  which  was  founded  at  Chicago,  111.,  in 
1847.  Twelve  congregations,  twenty -two  pastors,  and 
two  candidates  of  the  ministry  organized  themselves  into 
that  church  body  which  from  the  very  first  has  cham- 
pioned the  cause  of  Lutheran  elementary  and  common 
schools  in  this  country.  In  its  Constitution,  among  the 
conditions  governing  admission  to  the  Synod  and  con- 
trolling a continuance  of  association,  this  body  expressly 
mentions  and  emphasizes,  “To  provide  for  Christian  in- 


— 11  — 


struction  at  school  of  the  children  of  the  congregation.’ ’ 
At  the  same  time  Synod  exhorts  “all  German  Lutheran 
parents  to  afford  their  children  every  possible  oppor- 
tunity to  acquire  a sufficient  knowledge  of  our  beloved 
mother  tongue  by  sending  them  to  German  schools  and 
by  speaking  the  German  language  at  home.” 

In  accordance  herewith,  Synod,  from  the  very  start, 
has  made  it  a rule  to  open  schools  for  the  young  wher- 
ever the  Gospel  is  preached  to  the  old.  As  soon  as  the 
means  of  the  congregation  permit,  a schoolmaster  is 
called  to  relieve  the  minister  of  the  work  at  school. 

Ministers  and  teachers  both  have  been  educated  at 
Lutheran  colleges  and  seminaries  in  charge  of  the  Synod. 
The  Teachers ’ Seminary , founded  in  1854,  and  located 
at  Addison , III.,  since  1864,  has,  within  the  last  twenty 
years,  graduated  719  teachers.  Two  Preparatory  De- 
partments, one  at  Seward,  Nebr .,  the  other  at  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  supply  students  for  the  Seminary  course  at  Ad- 
dison. Demanding  to  have  their  children  not  merely 
instructed  but  educated  in  the  proper  sense  of  the  word, 
the  congregations  forming  this  Synod,  and  also  others 
that  have  not  joined  this  body,  but  are  served  by  its  min- 
isters, continue  to  make  great  sacrifices  towards  main- 
taining parochial  schools  of  their  own.  Although  they 
do  not  consider  this  the  only  way  of  bringing  up  their 
children  in  the  fear  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  they 
have  found  this  the  best  and  proper  means,  under  exist- 
ing circumstances  and  conditions,  to  join  in  establishing 
and  maintaining  common  schools,  the  congregation,  as 
a community  of  Lutherans,  executing  what  would  be  im- 
practicable, if  not  impossible,  for  a single  family. 

In  consequence  thereof  these  Lutheran  parochial  or 
church  schools  present  a system  in  themselves  with  dis- 
tinctive features. 


One  of  these  features  is  the  corps  of  teachers  employed. 
They  are  men  properly  prepared  for  their  vocation.  At 
the  institutions  where  they  receive  their  training  they 
have  been  instructed  in  the  ordinary  branches  taught  in 
normal  schools,  and  in  music  besides.  Their  profes- 
sional training  has  been  in  accordance  with  the  tenets  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  the  teachings  of  pronounced 
pedagogues.  Every  graduate  from  these  institutions  is 
expected  to  be  competent  to  teach  in  English  as  well  as 
in  German,  receiving  his  diploma  after  having  under- 
gone a course  of  studies  prescribed  by  Synod. 

Another  feature  of  the  Lutheran  parochial  - school 
system  is  the  fact  that  the  teachers  make  their  profession 
a life’s  calling.  They  receive  a regular  call  from  the  con- 
gregation requiring  their  services,  and  enter  upon  their 
vocation  as  a permanent  occupation,  the  congregation, 
on  the  other  hand,  pledging  itself  to  support  its  teachers 
and  to  assist  them  in  their  .work. — Female  teachers  are 
employed  as  assistants  only,  never  being  “ called ” to  their 
position,  but  serving  temporarily,  as  a rule,  so  long  as  cir- 
cumstances prevent  the  installation  of  a male  teacher. 

Still  another  distinguishing  feature  is  that  these 
teachers  do  not  simply  intend  to  instruct,  but  also  to  edu- 
cate. They  hold  that  it  is  their  duty  not  merely  to  lead 
out  and  train  the  mental  powers,  nor  merely  to  inform  and 
enlighten  the  understanding,  but  also  to  form  and  regu- 
late the  principles  and  character  of  the  child.  It  is  an 
education  of  the  heart  as  well  as  of  the  intellect  that  they 
seek,  thus  tending  to  the  individual  welfare  as  well  as  to 
that  of  the  community. 

The  plan  of  instruction  in  these  Lutheran  parochial 
schools  includes,  besides  formal  instruction  in  the  Cate- 
chism and  Bible  History,  all  the  common-school  branches. 
The  children  are  taught  reading  and  writing  in  German 


— 13  — 


and  English,  besides  the  rudiments  of  grammar  of  both 
languages,  composition,  and  kindred  branches,  arith- 
metic, geography,  and  history  of  the  United  States.  The 
instruction  in  the  three  latter  branches  is  given  in  Eng- 
lish. Every  school  also  practices  singing,  and  nearly 
all  of  them  teach  drawing.  In  order  to  form  a correct 
opinion  of  the  attainments  of  these  schools,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  the  teachers  are  required  to  employ 
two  languages,  and  that  a large  amount  of  their  time  is 
given  to  religious  instruction,  while  in  the  common  pub- 
lic school  only  one  language  is  taught  and  the  time  re- 
quired for  religious  instruction  in  the  parochial  school 
can  be  made  use  of  by  the  public-school  teacher  in  some 
other  way.  The  character,  standard,  and  efficiency  of 
these  parish  schools  necessarily  differ  according  to  local- 
ity and  condition  of  the  congregation  supporting  them. 
Some  congregations  have  as  many  as  nine  teachers,  while 
others  must  be  content  with  what  schooling  their  pastor 
can  give  to  their  children.  Every  congregation  must 
furnish  the  means  necessary,  but  all  schools  are  sup- 
ported without  compulsion  whatever,  each  congregation 
being  at  liberty  to  support  its  school  either  by  volun- 
tary and  common  contributions  of  each  member  to  the 
school  fund,  or  by  charging  a nominal  tuition  fee  to 
those  whose  children  attend  school.  All  schools  are  open 
to  children  of  non-members,  and  are  therefore  attended 
not  by  children  of  the  congregation  only. 

The  business  management  of  the  schools  is  placed 
into  the  hands  of  a school  board  chosen  by  the  congre- 
gation, the  pastor  acting  as  supervisor  of  the  school. 

Although  each  school  is  practically  independent  un- 
der the  jurisdiction  of  its  respective  congregation,  all  the 
congregations  forming  the  Synod  make  it  incumbent  on 
certain  officials  of  Synod  to  inspect  and  visit  the  schools 


— 14  — 


of  their  proper  district  and  to  regularly  report  to  Synod 
as  to  their  respective  conditions. 

It  certainly  is  a fact  worthy  of  due  consideration  that 
such  a large  number  of  Lutheran  congregations,  scat- 
tered abroad  this  wide  country,  has  been  willing,  with- 
out any  compulsory  law,  to  furnish  the  means  of  sus- 
taining parochial  schools  of  their  own,  besides  cheerfully 
paying  their  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  public  school. 

The  growth  of  the  parochial-school  system  of  this  Lu- 
theran Synod  may  be  seen  from  the  following  table : — 


Instructors. 

Year. 

Schools. 

Pastors. 

Teachers. 

Pupils. 

1848 

14 

9 

5 

508 

1858 

113 

62 

51 

4974 

1868 

367 

171 

196 

22687 

1872* 

475 

224 

251 

Fifty  years  after  the  founding  of  Synod  the  num- 
ber of  schools  had  increased  to  1600,  and  the  number  of 
teachers , pastors  not  included,  to  830.  According  to  the 
latest  reports  (1904),  the  school  statistics  of  the  Synod 
are  as  follows  : — 

Schools.  Teachers.  Pupils. 

1888  857  male,  176  female.  96193 

1061  pastors. 

Some  cities  and  country  districts  form  school  centers, 
according  to  the  percentage  of  German  Lutherans  dwell- 
ing there.  The  following  cities  represent  some  of  the 
localities  where  parochial  schools  have  been  in  existence 
for  years  and  still  are  improving  in  number  and  attain- 
ments. The  parochial-school  system  of  the  five  German 
Synods  belonging  to  the  Synodical  Conference  is  shown 
by  the  following  table : — v. 


♦ Twenty -fifth  anniversary. 


I 


— 15  — 


Instructors. 

Teachers. 


Synod.  Schools. 

Pastors. 

Male. 

Female.  Pupils. 

Missouri:  1888 

1061 

857 

176  96193 

Wisconsin : 244 

116 

100 

35  12160 

Minnesota : 66 

43 

24 

2 2654 

Michigan:  14 

8 

4 

1 514 

Nebraska:  13 

8 

2 

1 295 

2225 

1236 

987 

215  111816 

The  number  of  parochial  schools  of  the  Missouri  Synod 

only  in  some  of  the  principal  cities  is 

shown  in  the  fol- 

lowing : — 

Teachers. 

Schools. 

Pupils. 

Chicago : 

118 

50 

8755 

St.  Louis: 

39 

19 

2652 

Cleveland : 

36 

9 

3000 

Milwaukee : 

33 

13 

3021 

Detroit : 

30 

11 

2164 

Fort  Wayne: 

25 

7 

1618 

The  number  of  teachers  indicates  the  number  of 
classes  in  each  city.  From  the  number  of  schoolchildren 
it  can  be  inferred  that  some  of  the  classes  are  very  large, 
too  numerous  for  one  teacher.  This  is  one  of  the  many 
disadvantages  some  parochial  teachers  must  put  up  with, 
though  they  may  expect  to  have  them  remedied  as  time 
advances. 

A 

From  the  school  work  placed  on  exhibition  an  opinion 
may  be  formed  of  the  standard  of  these  parochial  schools 
within  the  bounds  of  Synod,  although  the  number  of 
schools  exhibiting  is  only  261.  They  represent  school 
work  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  executed  under  a 
great  variety  of  conditions  and  circumstances,  and  very 
often  under  restrictions  and  difficulties  unknown  to  any 
system  of  public  instruction. 

The  exhibit  contains  regular  class  work  from  27  dif- 
ferent States.  The  number  of  teachers  exhibiting  is  460 


— 16  — 


(401  male  and  37  female  teachers,  besides  22  pastors). 
The  following  branches  are  represented: 


1.  English  Language  Work. 

2.  United  States  History. 

3.  Geography. 

4.  Arithmetic. 

5.  Religion. 


7.  Physiology. 

8.  Zoology. 

9.  Botany. 

10.  General  History. 

11.  Penmanship. 

6.  German  Language  Work.  12.  Drawing. 

Besides  there  are  on  exhibition  over  800  photographic 
views  of  school  buildings  and  classes. 

In  connection  with  this  school  exhibit  the  Teachers’ 
Seminary  in  Addison,  111.,  places  on  exhibition  regular 
class  work  and  some  examination  papers  illustrating  the 
course  of  instruction  at  this  institution.  The  branches 
represented  are  as  follows : — 

1.  English  Language  Work. 

2.  United  States  History. 

3.  Geography. 

4.  Physiology. 

5.  Chemistry. 

6.  Zoology. 

7.  Botany. 

8.  Arithmetic. 

9.  Catechetical  Exercises. 

10.  German  Language  Work. 

11.  General  History. 

12.  Penmanship. 

13.  Harmony. 

14.  Drawing. 


May  this  Exhibit  of  Lutheran  parochial  schools  bring 
home  to  most  of  its  visitors  the  firm  conviction  that  the 
Lutheran  Church  in  this  country  still  champions  the 
cause  of  true  education . 


««♦ 


